Dr. Elizabeth Anderson Visits Geneseo
Photo courtesy of Gillian McDonnell
Dr. Elizabeth Anderson presents in Doty Recital Room to a full room of students, professors, and many others interested in the topic of politial philosophy and economics.
Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, the designer and first director of the program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at the University of Michigan, came to Geneseo on Sept. 11, 2025 to Doty Recital Hall to present on “The Forgotten Political History of Utilitarianism.”
Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy that aims to maximize overall happiness and well-being. Utilitarianism is rooted in the “Protestant work ethic,” valuing hard work, frugality, and fulfilling social roles. The Protestants believed that it was humans’ God-given duty to promote human life and well-being; they thought a division of labor was best to help guide one another to the calling that suited the individual talents and inclinations of each. During the Industrial Revolution, it shaped strict poverty policies that emphasized self-reliance and economic progress, often harming family and community ties. While utilitarian thinkers like Jeremy Bentham supported a rigid, profit-focused approach, some others emphasized the importance of higher pleasures, respect, and cooperation in ethical decision-making.
In addition to witnessing Dr. Anderson’s presentation, she also agreed to an interview. She explained that she started college as an economics major, but she soon realized she was more interested in the higher philosophical questions in the foundation of economics, subsequently switching her major to philosophy with a minor to economics. Elaborating on the program she helped craft with this background, she describes PPE as “the study of institutional design for solving collective active problems.” It utilizes moral and political philosophy, as well as psychology, to approach problems and create solutions. It actively considers respect for individual rights and analyzes political values, including the potential need for reform. PPE is deeply interdisciplinary, utilizing social sciences, the humanities, and even mathematical fields like statistics and business.
Dr. Anderson explained that the humanities are important in enriching a person’s education, as they train in critical thinking, problem solving, and writing. She emphasized that writing is an important tool for thinking; learning to write necessitates critical and systematical thinking to assess complex problems with no clear or predetermined solutions. Unlike fields with fixed answers, the humanities deal with difficult, open-ended issues, often with multiple potential outcomes, much like real-world problems. Writing helps us recognize if an idea has real potential and teaches us how to refine our thinking. It also helps us identify potential refutations and catch mistakes rooted in biases or faulty reasoning.
Dr. Anderson shared that her favorite undergraduate course to teach is the Gateway to PPE Major. In this course, she covers political economy, including classical political economy, discussing Adam Smith, who was both an economist and philosopher, as well as J.S. Mill. She emphasizes the importance of the study of moral theorizing, psychology, and cognitive biases. Today, we have more tools to conduct empirical investigations than classical economists did.
Even so, current philosophers have a narrow view and judge things according to efficiency and economic growth, reflecting a broadly utilitarian view, compared to the wider range of normative interests of people like Smith and Mill. Dr. Anderson imagines that they would ask: What do we make of ourselves when we put people in horrible factory work? Does it dull our minds? Does it make us antagonize each other? She comments that the same questions can be asked today regarding the polarizing effects of social media. What would it look like if social media were designed differently? Classical political economists were concerned with whether we had healthy political relationships with each other, raising the kinds of questions that are crucial in today's political climate. Even more important to examine today are the background values, rather than problems of efficiency, that may make us hate each other.
Another one of Dr. Anderson’s favorite courses to teach is on 19th-century political philosophy, a period marked by enormous optimism and dreams of a better society. She emphasized the importance of testing these ideas with real-world evidence. The era was full of creativity and institutional experimentation, especially amidst the rapid growth of democracy in the UK. In contrast, today’s society faces rising dissatisfaction, especially among Gen Z, who are often unfairly criticized for lacking work ethic. With growing anxiety around careers, Dr. Anderson believes we should care more about the quality of people's working lives.
Dr. Anderson is a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, a five-year fellowship that is not applied for, but rather chosen by various distinguished scholars. Dr. Anderson stated that, “It's really an immense liberation to get this reward.”
For scholars, the money allows more time for research, and for Dr. Anderson in particular, it allowed her time to focus on writing. One of her many publications is the book, Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic Against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back. Dr. Anderson says that this book is for a wider audience than just philosophers. It discusses how the concept of work ethic developed, why we work all the time, why we are the only rich country that does not have guaranteed paid vacations, and asks what we should do about the work ethic that we have. While this was her most ambitious project, she also completed several others during that time.